Injured
by Aqua-diamond
Summary: Link is travelling to Castle Town for an important meeting with Princess Zelda. When he begins running late he decides to take a short cut through Ganon's Pass, where many people have disappeared...
1. Chapter 1

**Injured**

The magnificent orange sun was just appearing over the horizon. The grass in Hyrule field glittered with dew and glistening cobwebs hung from branches. Birds shook themselves from their sleep and began to sing, as the sun rose higher more birds joined the morning chorus filling all corners of the field with joyful music. Rabbits emerged sleepily from their underground burrows and bounded across the field. Hunters slunk away back to their dens, disappointed that they no longer had the cover of night to use to their advantage.

A chestnut brown mare drank deeply from a narrow stream, the cool, refreshing water had flowed down from the mountains. The mare's coat seemed to shine in the sunlight, her white mane flowed down her neck and she used her sleek tail to swat away flies. The mare turned away from the stream and trotted towards a tall, majestic oak tree. As she neared the old tree she skirted around the remains of a small fire to avoid the still warm ashes. Soon after, the roots of the oak came into her vision. A teenage boy lay underneath the shade of the canopy above. He wore a green tunic, the same colour as the grass he lay on. His sandy coloured hair flopped over his face hiding his closed eyes. His ears ended in slight points, as was normal with Hylians. A long green hat, the same colour as his tunic lay over a root of the old oak. A polished brown leather horse saddle lay on the grass nearby. Two saddle bags were strewn beside it, one of the bags was open and an empty jar lay on the grass beside it. The horse pawed the ground and neighed loudly. The boy, whose name was Link, groggily pushed his hair out of his face, revealing his eyes. They were a deep blue, almost the same colour as the sky. Those eyes seemed to hold a wisdom that many people who were older than the boy could never hope to achieve. There was a sadness that could be seen in their depths, as though they had seen many terrible things. Link rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms up to the sky. He put his hands on the ground and pushed himself into a sitting position. He glanced sleepily at his horse who was still pawing the ground. He half-grinned to himself "What's wrong with you Epona? Are you just annoyed that I overslept?" The chestnut mare gazed at him silently with her dark brown eyes. Link chuckled.

_Yeah, I didn't really expect you to answer me_

Link made his way over to the open saddle bag on the ground. He picked up the empty glass jar and put it back inside the bag. He rummaged around in the bag until his hand closed on something round. He pulled out the shiny red apple and walked towards Epona with it. He held it out on his hand as he neared her, Epona whickered happily and plucked the apple out of Link's hand. The mare devoured the apple in two bites. Epona stepped forward and nuzzled Link's cheek. Link laughed and tried to push her away, but Epona pushed against his hands. Link wobbled, and fell to the ground. The dew on the grass made the legs of his trousers wet but, he didn't mind. Link pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the other saddle bag, he pulled out a second apple out of the leather bag. He promptly ate the red fruit. Link made his way towards the narrow stream, bringing two jars with him. He filled the jars with cool, clear drinking water. Then he cupped his hands and dipped them into the stream. He splashed his face with the water and scrubbed it roughly with a cotton cloth to clean off the grime that had built up over the last few days of travelling. When he had cleaned his face Link made his way back towards the big tree. He put the jars of water into a saddle bag. He picked up the saddle and put it on Epona's back. He bent down to tie the straps underneath her stomach, his tired hands fumbling with the buckles. Link secured the bags to the sides of Epona's saddle. Link slipped the bridle and reins over the chestnut mare's head. Link put one foot into a stirrup, grabbed the reins and swung himself onto Epona's back. He tugged on the reins to make Epona turn until she was facing towards Hyrule Castle, which could be seen across the field. Link glanced back at the place where he had spent the night and spotted his quiver lying at the foot of the tree. He had nearly forgotten it! He leapt off Epona and ran to the tall tree. He picked up his quiver and slung it over his shoulder. He kept his bow in one of the saddle bags. As he stood up, he saw a flash of green. He turned towards it and realised that his green hat was still lying across the root of the tree where he had left it. Link's hands went to his head, he had been convinced he had put the hat on already. He snatched up the soft cotton hat and jammed it on his head. Link walked around the tree, to reassure himself that he hadn't forgotten anything else. Once Link was positive that he had everything he mounted Epona again. He kicked his heels into Epona's side and spurred her into a gallop. The field passed by in a blur of greens and browns. Link laughed as the wind blew through his hair. His eyes glittered with joy at the freedom that he felt at that moment in time. He loved Ordon village where he lived, but Link enjoyed the freedom of riding Epona through Hyrule field without any boundaries, in Ordon he was bound by the rules of the village.

The horse and her master rode at this pace for about two hours before they slowed to a walk. Link steered Epona to the left, where he knew there was a small lake. After another half an hour's walk they came across the shimmering blue water. Link climbed off Epona and let her drink from the lake. Link stayed by the lake for about twenty minutes. When he believed that Epona had rested for long enough he climbed into the saddle again. His legs were aching from riding, but he had to make it to Hyrule Castle within three days, he was to attend an important meeting with Princess Zelda. Link only had to tap Epona's sides with his heels for her to move on. They kept a steady pace until the grass began to thin out and the ground turned to hard rock. Link knew he was heading in the right direction, he needed to go through Ganon's Pass to get to the castle in time. He had heard tell that Ganon's Pass was an inhospitable place, no living creature stayed there for long and even grass didn't grow there. Link had heard terrible stories about Ganon's Pass, people went in and were found dead weeks later. He had heard a particularly gruesome story about a man who had tried to go through Ganon's Pass, he was found four days later, with bloody sockets where his eyes had been. But, that was before Link had defeated Ganon and freed the world of Twilight, there had been no major incidents since that time.

Link spurred Epona into a trot and soon he could see Ganon's Pass. Two huge rocks loomed in front of Link on either side of a narrow pathway. The rocks were a red-brown colour.

_Almost like the colour of dried blood._

Link shook himself. No. He couldn't think like that, he was the Hero who had killed Ganon and Freed Hyrule, he could ride through Ganon's Pass. Link pulled on the reins to stop Epona. Link gazed up at the rocks and felt a sinking feeling in his gut. There was something ominous about the place. Link would not allow himself to be afraid, he took a deep breath and spurred Epona onwards. As the shadow of the huge rocks fell on Link he shivered, there seemed to be no warmth in this place. The path twisted to the right and Link suddenly saw a huge black shape. He drew his sword from its sheath on his back and prepared to fight. Then, he saw that it was just a crack in the side of the rock. Link shook himself, he was being silly, there was nothing scary about this Pass. He sheathed his sword and laughed nervously, trying to dispel his fear. His laugh echoed off the walls making it sound as though there were at least three people laughing. While his laugh echoed Link thought that he heard something else, like somebody blowing a trumpet but, he brushed that thought out of his mind.

_It was only the echo, nothing lives in this Pass that could blow a trumpet_

Link wanted to get through the Pass quickly, whenever there was a straight section of the path he would spur Epona into a trot in order to get out of the Pass as quick as possible.

After about an hour of riding Link began to feel more confident, he had the master sword and he was very skilled with his bow. He was sure he could fight anything that would attack him. Suddenly, Link stopped Epona, he was sure that he had heard something. He looked around him but there was nothing to be seen except for rocks. A breeze ruffled the hair that hung over his forehead. Link glanced to the left and saw an arrow on the ground that hadn't been there a moment before. Link's eyes opened wide, he gazed around wildly searching for the shooter of this arrow. His eyes fell on the top of the tall cliff to his right, on the top stood three archers all wearing black cloaks. The archer nearest to him notched his bow, when he released the arrow Link was able to hear the twang of the bow. Before he could react the arrow had reached him, it pierced his upper right arm and Link's cry echoed around the Pass. He snatched up Epona's reins in his left hand, kicked her sides and yelled "Hyah!" to spur her forwards. His yell echoed back at him from the walls of the Pass. As Epona was galloping Link grabbed the arrow shaft that was sticking out of his arm. His legs were the only thing holding him on the galloping mare as he closed his eyes and yanked the arrow from his arm. He wanted to scream with the pain but, he bit his tongue and restrained himself. He glanced down at the wound which was pumping hot blood down his arm. Link grimaced at how deep the wound was, the sleeve of his tunic was already soaked with blood. He grabbed the reins in his left hand again. He raced through the Pass on Epona, no longer caring how dangerous it was to take the bends at a high speed. He could hear the twang of bowstrings as more arrows were released but, he did not look up, he just concentrated on getting away. As Link rounded a corner he heard a noise, like a cloth moving. He gazed around without slowing down, wondering what it could be. Suddenly, he felt something fall on him, it draped over his entire body. His arms and his legs became tangled in it, Link realised that he was covered by a net. Link attempted to reach for his sword to cut the net but, before he could reach it there was a bright flash in front of him. Link just had time to recognise it as the flash of a deku nut when Epona reared up. Link, who was not holding onto Epona was thrown to the ground. Link struggled with the net, realising how vulnerable he was lying on the ground and unable to defend himself. He heard the twang of a bowstring and an arrow landed on the ground inches away from his face. He only glanced quickly at the arrow but, even that was enough for him to spot the glistening green liquid on the arrow tip. Link didn't know what it was, nor did he want to find out. He just focused on getting his left arm untangled from the net so that he could reach his sword. He slid it through the mesh and after a few moments it was free. He grabbed his sword from its sheath and started slashing through the net. Link wasn't fast enough. He felt a sharp, burning pain on the left side of his body. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, he wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of hearing him scream. Link didn't need to look to the source of his pain, he knew immediately that it was an arrow. He freed himself from the net and swung himself onto Epona. He spurred her into a gallop, his side felt as though it was on fire but, Link didn't dare risk letting go of the reins to pull the arrow out. It would have to wait. They raced through the Pass but, Link did not feel like they were going even nearly as fast as they should be. They seemed to have been running for an age, but the cliffs were still lined with archers, too many to fight.

Eventually, they broke out into open field. The breeze that blew against Link's face felt like a mother's kiss. When Link thought that they had fled far enough away from the Pass he slowed Epona to a stop. He slowly clambered off her back, the pain in his side was restricting his movement. Link took some bandages and the jars of water out of the saddle bags and sat on the ground. He placed his hand on the arrow shaft sticking out of his side. Link breathed in deeply for a few moments before tugging sharply on the arrow. The arrow had pierced very deep into his body and it was agonisingly slow to pull out. When the arrow finally left his body Link let out a heart-wrenching scream. Link's hands were shaking when he threw the arrow on the ground. Link lay back on the grass, allowing his body to go limp for a few moments. He was breathing harshly and his whole body would shake whenever pain shot through his side. When at last the pain had lessened Link sat up slowly. He pulled his tunic over his head gently, so he did not cause himself any more pain, he threw the tunic on the grass beside him. He used the jars of water to wash out his wounds, gritting his teeth as he poured the water into his injuries. He then wrapped bandages around his upper right arm and around the middle of his body. Link could only tie the bandages loosely using one hand but, it would be better than no bandages at all. He picked up his tunic and pulled it back on over his head. Link looked back towards Ganon's Pass, the tall rocks seemed even more menacing as they loomed out of the ground. He shuddered, he shouldn't have gone that way at all. As he looked at the rocks he thought he spotted movement on the top of them. Link had no intention of being caught by the mysterious people in the Pass. He swung himself onto the saddle and spurred Epona into a gallop. They raced through Hyrule field at this pace for a long time, all of the colours blurring into one.

Link's head began to throb painfully. He grimaced and slowed Epona to a walk, he was far enough away from the Pass at this stage. Link raised his hand to his forehead and closed his eyes for a few moments. His forehead was hot and sticky with sweat. Link breathed in deeply and searched in his saddle bags for a jar of water. He pulled out an empty jar and remembered that he had used the water to clean his wounds. He automatically put his hand on the sharp pain in his side. When he pulled his hand away it was covered with warm blood. It was leaking through his bandage and his tunic. He glanced at his right arm and saw that it too was covered in blood. Link grimaced. When he reached Castle Town he would search for a healer. As Epona plodded on, Link swayed in the saddle in rhythm to the horse's movements. After a while Link began to feel very cold, as though he were in the mountains. He pulled a blanket out of one of the saddle bags and wrapped it around his shoulders. He gazed up at the sky, it was late in the afternoon but the sun was still high. He shouldn't have been cold.

_I must just be cold because I lost soo much blood_.

They continued on towards Castle Town at a steady pace. Link stopped noticing the scenery, he just stared blankly at the back of Epona's head. He was breathing heavily and swaying gently from side to side. He had never felt soo ill. He began to lose track of time, he didn't know how long he had been travelling for. Link began to find it harder to breathe. His breath was coming in short gasps. As he stared blankly at Epona's ears an image flashed in his mind: The arrow on the ground, glistening with green liquid. A sudden realisation came upon him, the arrows were tipped with poison. Link was feeling dizzy and he knew immediately that he'd never make it to Castle Town before he collapsed. He looked all around Hyrule Field, forcing himself to focus. He spotted a small wooden house to the east. It was a good distance away but, it was closer than Castle Town. Link turned Epona towards it in the hope that somebody there could help him. As they rode Link's headache became almost unbearable. He couldn't get his eyes to focus on anything, he just hoped that they were still heading in the right direction. Link clutched the blanket around his shoulders, shivering with the cold that only he felt. His whole body shuddered as pain shot through him from the wound on his side. He closed his eyes hoping to ignore the pain. Link felt himself tipping to the side of the saddle. He toppled off the saddle and landed in a heap on the ground. A quiet moan of pain escaped his lips and then he was still.

**This is the first fanfiction that I've written. Part 2 will be coming soon, I just have to correct some grammar and spelling mistakes. If you spot any grammar/spelling mistakes here please let me know so that I can fix it.**

**Please Review! I love to hear feedback on my stories. Constructive criticism is welcomed, I want to become better at writing and I can't do that if I don't know what I do well and what I don't do well. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

Arya was a bright girl. Her brown hair seemed to flow down her back as she moved. Her father, Jacob was a healer-in-training. They lived in a small wooden house in Hyrule Field. It wasn't close to anywhere. Castle Town was a day and a half's ride away and Ordon village was a day and a half's ride away in the opposite direction, but only if they went through Ganon's Pass. Arya was afraid of Ganon's Pass, her father had told her that there were a few people who had supported Ganon's rise to power. Those people made their homes in secret caverns underneath the Pass, attacking anybody who passed through. They were waiting for their great leader to return to them. Arya barely ever travelled, her father was afraid for her safety. He told her that it was too dangerous. She had gone to Castle Town once, when her father was ill to buy potions for him. When he found out that she had gone he scolded her. Other than that, the furthest she ever went was to the lake, half a days ride away from her home. She loved watching the creatures that came to drink at the lake and she had met many interesting people there. Arya stared into the fire thinking about the lake, maybe her father would let her go there tomorrow.

"Arya." She heard her father call her name. She turned to him "yes?"

"Could you go out back to the stable and check that Milly and Daisy are alright?"

Arya nodded and got to her feet. Milly and Daisy were their horses. The stables were a bit behind the house. Arya didn't bother to put on shoes, she liked the feel of the grass between her toes. She opened the back door and stepped into the cool night air. She closed the door quietly behind her. The grass was wet but, it felt wonderful on her feet. Arya walked over to the small stables behind her house. There were only two stalls. Milly was a pure white mare. She whinnied as Arya came close. Arya rubbed Milly's head. She walked over to the bale of hay that stood at the entrance to the stable. She filled a bucket with hay and poured the hay out into Milly's stall. She did the same for Daisy, their ten year old honey-coloured mare. Arya watched the horses eat for a while. Somewhere a horse neighed. Arya was suddenly completely alert. Neither of her horses had moved their mouths. It had to have been another horse, and if there was someone out riding at this hour of the night it could mean trouble was headed towards Castle Town. Arya crept out of the stable and walked around the back. She looked around the corner of the stable but, she could see nothing. The horse neighed again, this time it sounded distressed. Arya glanced quickly back at her house. She could see the lights through the windows but she couldn't see her father. The horse sounded distressed, it could be trapped or injured. Arya had to help it. She crept forward, keeping herself low to the ground, ready to drop onto her stomach at a moment's notice if she spotted a rider. Arya began to speed up when she was unable to see the horse. It neighed again, louder this time. She must be getting close. Arya saw movement ahead. She dropped to her stomach, the water from the grass seeping through her clothes. As her eyes adjusted she could make out the shape of a horse in the dark ahead of her. She saw no sign of a rider. She ran towards the horse, which gazed at her and neighed loudly again. She saw that it was wearing a saddle and the saddle bags were still full. That was strange. There was a pile of what seemed like blankets near the horse, they must have fallen out of the saddle bags. The chestnut coloured horse didn't seem to have been mistreated. In fact, Arya thought it was in amazing shape. Its coat was shiny and it didn't appear to be malnourished. Arya was puzzled, what was a horse like that doing out here on its own? She decided that maybe it had escaped from its master. She grabbed the reins and tried to lead the horse back towards the stables, she would look after the mare until her master came looking for her. The chestnut mare reared up and stood its ground. Arya gazed at the horse puzzled. The mare turned her head and looked towards what Arya thought was a pile of blankets. Arya dropped the reins and walked towards the dark pile. As she got closer she realised that it was a person lying on the ground. Alarmed, Arya ran towards him. She dropped to her knees beside him. It was a boy, just a few years younger than herself. He was lying on his side and his eyes were closed. There was a blanket underneath his head. He was wearing a long tunic and there was a hat on the ground next to him. She couldn't fully make out his features in the dark but, she did notice that the boy's ears ended in points. He was a Hylian.

Arya took a deep breath to calm herself. She gently put one hand on his stomach and one on his back. She slowly rolled him over using the hand on his stomach to push him onto his back and her other hand to gently lower his back to the grass. She had seen her father do this so he could look over a patient. When she pulled her hand away she realised that it was wet. She held it up and as the moonlight fell on it she noticed that the liquid was red. blood. Alarm and concern for the unconscious boy filled Arya. She gently placed a hand on his chest. Arya breathed a sigh of relief when she felt his chest move slightly. It barely moved at all but, the fact that it had moved meant he was still alive. She glanced up, the boy's horse was standing there watching her. When she looked back at the boy she noticed that his eyes were open. They were struggling to focus but they were open. "Please" Arya said softly. "Please hold on, I'll get help." Link opened his mouth to reply but the only noise that came out was a groan of pain. Arya looked at him with pity. She was never allowed to see her father's patients when they were very badly injured but, she knew that only about one third of them ever lived. Link opened his mouth again, this time forming words. "Poi…son ar…row". Poison arrow. Arya suddenly understood the seriousness of the situation. "I'll be back, I'll get help." The boy gazed at her face and Arya could see the helplessness in his eyes. He nodded slowly. His whole body suddenly shuddered with pain and Link's eyes closed. Arya grimaced, even two words and a nod were too much for him, it didn't look good.

Arya raced across the grass to her house. The front door banged off the wall of the house when she threw it open. Her father looked up from his place by the fire "What on ear-" he started. Arya interrupted him, panting. "Boy! There's a.. boy! On the grass… injured… poison arrow!" Her father looked at her and saw the blood on her hands. He jumped out of his seat and grabbed his satchel of emergency supplies from the wooden table in the centre of the room. "Let's go!" Arya cried and without waiting for an answer she ran from the house. Jacob followed, still wearing his nightclothes. When Arya spotted the horse she pointed, calling to her father "He's just there, beside that horse." When Arya reached the horse she stopped. Jacob had spotted the boy and continued towards him. Arya couldn't look at the boy, he was too similar to her older brother who had died when she was only ten. He had the same sandy coloured hair and he was about the same age as her brother had been. She had come back from feeding the horses one day to find her brother collapsed on the floor. This was before her father had started training to be a healer. He had sent a letter to Castle Town looking for a healer. The healer had not come in time, Arya's brother had died of his mysterious illness. That was the event that made her father decide to become a healer. It was after this that he stopped allowing Arya to go anywhere on her own.

Arya shook herself from her thoughts. Her father was holding a wet cloth on Link's forehead trying to cool his fever. The boy's skin was deathly pale and his breathing was shallow. He looked like a corpse. Jacob removed Link's tunic so that he could see the wounds. The bandages were falling off so the healer-in-training unwrapped them. The wounds were deep and blood continued to trickle from them. Jacob was more worried about the poison that had entered the boy's bloodstream, he didn't know what it could do to him. However, it was important to stop the bleeding. He pulled some cloths out of his satchel and beckoned Arya forwards "I need you to hold these to his wounds, we need to put pressure on them to stop the bleeding. Start with the one on his side, it's deeper." Arya took the cloths from her father with shaking hands. She scrunched two of them up together and pushed them against the bleeding wound on the boy's side. Link moaned in pain but, he was too weak to pull away from her. Arya glanced up at her father and he nodded his approval, she was doing it right even though she was causing him pain. Jacob took a bottle of water from the satchel. He dripped some of it into the injured boy's open mouth. Link swallowed the refreshing liquid. "That's it." Jacob muttered "Water will make you feel better." It was then that Arya knew her father was also reminded of his son when he looked at this boy. She held the cloth over the wound with one hand and put the other on her father's shoulder. "Dad, he's not Damien. I know you want him to be but, he's not." Arya's voice cracked. "Damien is gone." A single tear rolled down Jacob's cheek. "No. He's not Damien. I couldn't help Damien but, I can help this boy." He squeezed his daughter's hand. Jacob continued to trickle small amounts of water into Link's open mouth.

Some time later, Arya had managed to stop the bleeding of the two wounds. She knew how to put on bandages so she tied one tightly around the boy's middle and one around his upper right arm. When he had moaned or whimpered in pain Arya had gritted her teeth and pressed on. It would help him in the long run. Jacob looked to his daughter. "Arya, we need to move him. I don't know what type of poison was on those arrows but, I'm hoping that if we keep him warm enough maybe he will sweat it out. That means he needs a bed and a fire." The girl looked at her father in horror. "We can't! What if his wounds open again when we move him!? He could barely stay conscious long enough to say 'poison arrow', how could he manage the trip to our house!?" Jacob bowed his head. "It's just a risk we'll have to take. The only problem is how to move him." Arya looked down at the young Hylian, he was determined, he had held out this long. Arya felt a small spark of hope. Hoofbeats were heard and Arya looked up to see the chestnut brown mare. She whinnied loudly and Jacob looked up at the mare. The daughter and father looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

Arya took the saddle off the horse. They would have to leave the saddle and bags here so that they could get the boy to their house but, Arya would come back for them. The hardest part was getting the boy onto the horse. The chestnut mare stood perfectly still, willing to help her master. Arya's father had put a hand behind the boy's knees and one around his shoulders. He had lifted him gently off the ground but, the boy cried out with pain. Arya's father had continued to lift him. At one point the boy's whole body shook with pain and Jacob nearly lost his grip on the young Hylian. Link was placed carefully on Epona's back. His head rested on the mare's neck. Jacob swung his satchel over his arm and stood beside the horse, holding Link on her back. Arya stood at the horse's head and held the reins. The chestnut mare walked slowly and steadily as if she knew that the life of her master depended on it. It was a painfully slow journey that should only have taken a few minutes.

When the boy was finally in the soft bed in the spare room Arya and her father both sighed with relief. Arya left to bring Link's horse to the stables. Jacob lit the logs in the fireplace in the spare room. He then sat on a stool and gazed at the unconscious boy in the bed. Jacob knew exactly who this boy was, he had seen the golden symbol of the triforce on the boy's hand as he lifted him onto the horse. He was Link, the Hero chosen by the goddesses to free Hyrule of Ganon's rule. He gazed in wonder at the Hero who was in his home. He snapped back to his senses when Link's eyes opened. He stared at the man who was sitting by his bedside. Jacob had to know for certain. "Is your name Link?" he asked quietly. The boy nodded. Jacob looked at Link's deep blue eyes and grimaced at the thought of the pain he was going to cause him. Jacob was nearly a fully qualified healer so he knew exactly what he had to do but, because Link was awake he felt that he needed to explain it to the boy. "Your wounds are deep. They will heal on their own with time but, besides the poison I don't know what else could have been on those arrow heads so I'm going to have to wash them out with.. a strong steriliser." Link just gazed at him. Jacob didn't think the boy had heard a word he had said. Jacob pulled the blankets off Link's upper body. He unwrapped the bandages around the boy's upper arm and middle. Jacob unstoppered the bottle of spirits that was on the locker beside the bed. Jacob put the bottle back onto the locker and walked to his satchel on the floor. He pulled out a jar of red potion. It was a painkiller. He poured some into Link's mouth and forced him to swallow it. Jacob took a deep breath and glanced at the boy again. He didn't look like a Hero, he just looked like a teenager. Link's blue eyes gazed up at Jacob, watching him. Jacob wished that he didn't have to look at the boy's eyes, it would have been much easier if he hadn't seen those deep blue eyes, completely unaware of the fact that Jacob was trying to help him.

Jacob tipped some of the spirits onto a cloth. He pressed the cloth up against Link's arm wound. Even with the numbing effects of the red potion Link still cried out when the alcohol touched his open wound. Jacob bit his lip and continued to clean the edges of the wound with the cloth. He lifted the cloth from the wound and grimaced at what he was about to do next. He picked up the bottle of spirits and placed a hand on Link's shoulder to prevent him from moving his arm. Jacob slowly tipped the bottle, pouring the spirits into the boy's arm wound. Link's moan of pain quickly became a scream. He thrashed, trying to escape the source of the pain but, Jacob held his arm tight. As the sound of his screams died away the boy's body went limp. Jacob sighed, it was never easy but, at least he wouldn't cause as much pain if the boy was unconscious. He looked up and saw Arya standing in the doorway. She was watching the boy sadly, Jacob knew that she wanted to imagine just for a while that her brother was still there. Arya muttered quietly, "I could hear him screaming from the stables." She turned away and walked to her own bedroom. Jacob proceeded to wash out Link's other wound. When he was finished he wrapped fresh bandages tightly around the boy and pulled the blanket up to his chin. He threw more logs on the fire, trying to make it burn as hot as possible. Then he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. He could hear Arya's quiet snores through her bedroom door. Jacob decided that he should stay close to his patient so he pulled his blankets to the couch.

Jacob woke during the night, his mouth was dry. He went to the kitchen and took a bottle of water from the cupboard. He drank deeply. There were only two more bottles of water left, he'd have to send Arya to the lake to fetch more. Jacob knew she'd like that. He took another bottle of water and walked to the spare room. The fire was still lighting but, Jacob tossed some extra logs onto it just to be sure. His gaze rested on the pale boy lying in the bed. He had a bad fever, Jacob could see the sweat glistening on the boy's forehead and his flushed cheeks. Jacob walked over to the boy and poured some water into his open mouth. He looked at the boy sympathetically, wishing he could do something about the fever but, if he was right, the fever would help the young hylian to get rid of the toxins in his body. Jacob looked out the window and saw that the sun was beginning to rise on the horizon. He had done everything he could for Link and he needed to get some sleep if he was to be of use to anyone. Jacob returned to the couch and covered himself with the blankets.

Link's eyelids fluttered open. He found himself staring at a wooden ceiling. He glanced to his right and saw that there was an open bottle of water on the bedside locker. He reached for it with shaking fingers and lifted it to his lips. The cool, refreshing water trickled down his throat. It was only then that he realised how thirsty he was. Link slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. He saw that there were burning embers in the fireplace and when he glanced at the window he could see that it was night time. Link still felt a bit clammy and he was warm. He wanted to feel air on his face. He reached for his green, cotton hat that was also on the bedside locker and put it on his head. Link slowly stood up, using the bed-post to lean on. He was a bit wobbly on his feet but, he found that he could walk. He slowly walked barefoot across the room. When he opened the door he saw a man asleep on a couch near the fireplace in this room. The man seemed familiar but, Link couldn't remember much after he went through Ganon's Pass. Link spotted the back door of the house and crept forward, hoping it wasn't locked. He wobbled a bit on his feet and grabbed the table to steady himself. When he felt ready, he continued towards the door. His fingers closed on the door handle and to his relief the door was not locked. Link stepped out into the crisp night air and shut the door softly behind him. He stood on the porch, enjoying the gentle breeze. The moon was bright and from its light Link was able to see the stables just a short distance from the house. He quickly judged his strength and the distance to the stables. He decided that he wanted to see Epona and she was most likely in the stables. Link walked forwards slowly, unsteady on his legs. He had a couple of wobbles but he made it to the stables. He smiled, happy that he had made it. There were two stalls in the stable. The first one he looked at contained two horses. One with a shiny white coat and one with a honey-coloured coat. As Link neared the second stall he heard a whinny and Epona's head appeared over the door of the stall. "Hey girl." Link smiled as he rubbed Epona. The chestnut mare whinnied happily, trying to eat Link's hat. Link laughed as he pushed Epona away. He was still grinning when he turned and saw a girl, older than him wearing a nightdress standing in the doorway of the stables, staring at him. "I-" she began. "I'm glad you're awake." Link looked at her curiously, she was standing far away as though she was afraid of looking at him. He raised a hand and beckoned her to him. She came slowly. Link quickly made his assumptions that she was the daughter of the man who had been asleep on the couch. He smiled warmly "Thank you for helping me." Link hoped he was making her less afraid. He wobbled slightly on his feet and the girl ran forward catching his arm to steady him. Link grimaced in pain, she had grabbed his injured arm. Arya realised what she had done when she saw that she was gripping a bandage. She released his arm. "I'm soo sorry" She said anxiously "I was just trying to help, I didn't realise-". Link waved it away "It's fine, I promise." He smiled reassuringly at her.

"You were asleep for three days." Arya said. "Some knights from Hyrule came this way looking for someone who was supposed to be attending a meeting with Princess Zelda. Father spoke to them and showed them into the room where you were sleeping. Then they headed back towards Castle Town." Link lowered his head, he didn't want the girl to see his alarm at the fact that he had been unconscious for three days. His hand went to his left side. Two small arrow wounds had caused all this. Arya watched him carefully, looking for a reaction. "My father told me that it would be rude to ask you but, I will anyway. Who are you? I'm Arya, I found you collapsed on the ground near your horse." Link lifted his head and told her his name. She looked at him, she had wanted to know who he was and why the knights were looking for him, not his name.

"My horse's name is Epona." Link said quietly. It was then that it finally dawned on Arya. Link the Hero chosen to rid the land of evil and his loyal horse, Epona. She looked at him open-mouthed. He smiled sure that she knew who he was now. "Thank you for taking care of her, by the way. She's in great shape." Arya smiled shyly at him. A stab of pain shot through Link's arm and he decided to go back to his bed. His whole body was tired, even the short walk to the stables had taken it out of him. He nodded to Arya "Goodnight." Link patted Epona's head and began his walk back towards the house.

"Link, I brought you some soup." Link opened his eyes groggily. A man was standing in the doorway holding a bowl. "You must be hungry, you haven't eaten in days." The man walked towards the bed. He placed the bowl on the bedside locker and helped Link to prop his back up against his pillow. He passed Link the bowl of soup and a spoon. Link sniffed the soup, it smelled delicious and he was hungry. Link's hand shook as he put the spoon into the soup. When he raised the spoon to his mouth his hand was shaking so bad that he lost more than half of the soup over the edge of the spoon. The bit of soup that did reach his mouth was gorgeous. Link could feel its warmth trickling down his throat, it was lovely. Jacob had seen how much trouble the boy had with lifting the spoon to his mouth so Jacob took the spoon from Link's hand. He dipped it in the soup and brought it to Link's lips. Link felt silly. Here he was, The Chosen Hero, being spoon fed like a child. Jacob seemed to know what Link was thinking. "Don't worry. Everybody needs help sometimes and you're recovering from a serious injury, if anyone needs help it is you." Feeling a bit less sheepish Link finished the whole bowl of soup. His arm was hurting him and he didn't want to risk opening his mouth and letting out a whimper of pain so he smiled gratefully at Jacob instead. The healer-in-training nodded understandingly. "Do you need something for the pain? I still have some red potion." Jacob inquired. Link shook his head. He didn't want these people to fuss over him. He could already tell by the way they looked at him that they saw him as somebody else, Link didn't want to break it to them that he wasn't that person. Jacob looked at Link and spoke quietly "The knights of Hyrule came looking for you when you didn't turn up at the castle to meet with the princess. I explained the situation to them and they left to tell the princess. I received a letter from her the next day. She wishes you a fast recovery and she says that she knows you will be missing your home so she will schedule your meeting for another time." As Link heard this he felt a pang of homesickness. He did miss Ordon, he missed the children, the ranch and his sword master. He nodded his acknowledgement to Jacob. Link rested his head back onto the pillow and within moments his eyes were closed and he was breathing softly. Jacob smiled, Link would need a lot of rest before he would be fully recovered. He backed slowly out of the room closing the door gently. Link seemed almost healthy. He was still a bit pale and he was quite thin because he hadn't eaten in three days but, he had woken up. Jacob was relieved that his idea of making Link sweat the poison out of his system had worked.

The sandy haired boy with the deep blue eyes was sitting on the steps at the front of the wooden house when three knights rode by. Two of the knights nodded at him as they passed. The last knight stared open-mouthed at the bandages that were visible on Link's upper body. Link squirmed slightly, he was sure that the knights knew who he was. Princess Zelda had probably requested them to ride by the house every few days to make sure that everything was alright. As Link watched them ride past him he found himself wishing that he had worn his tunic to cover the bandages. He heard the door open behind him and turned to see Arya holding a glass of milk. She held it out to him and he accepted it gratefully. Arya lowered herself onto the step beside Link. She couldn't think of him as a Hero, to her Link was just another patient that her father treated. Even though he reminded Arya of her brother, Link was really just another patient. The boy drank his milk quietly lost in his own thoughts. Arya noticed that he was gazing towards the mountains where she knew Ordon to be. Link was missing his home. He had only been away for a week and a half but still, his heart longed to be back in the rural village that was his home. He had promised his best friend, Ilia, that he wouldn't be away for very long. He smiled to himself, knowing that no matter how well he cared for Epona that it still wouldn't be good enough for Ilia. Link knew that his wounds were healing, he wouldn't have to wait for too much longer. When he had finished his milk he thanked Arya. She nodded in response, reluctant to interrupt his thoughts of home. Arya stood up and went back inside the house. She was upset at the idea that Link would leave them soon. She knew that he had to go but, she was afraid that it would feel like losing Damien all over again.

Link sat on the step for a little while longer and then entered the house. Jacob was washing dishes in a basin of water in the kitchen. Link wandered over and picked up a cloth. Jacob glanced over when the boy began to dry the dishes. Link looked at him, his blue eyes were determined. Jacob knew that he could not dissuade the boy from helping him so he just nodded at him.

That night Link lay awake, staring blankly at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep, his thoughts kept drifting to his home. When Link resigned to the fact that he was not going to fall asleep he swung his legs out of the bed. He pulled his green tunic on over his head and grinned when he noticed that almost all movement had returned to his right arm. He slipped his cotton hat onto his head and slowly crept through the house until he reached the back door. When he exited the house he stood still for a few moments, enjoying the breeze that was playing across his face. As Link walked across the wet grass he began to speed up. Soon, he was racing across the grass towards the stable. Link laughed, the wind felt wonderful on his face. He felt like himself again, he felt free. Link was no longer the injured boy who needed help to eat and to walk. He was strong, the Hero of Hyrule. When he reached the stable Link was breathing heavily and his heart was pounding in his chest. He felt as though he was completely healed. When he saw Epona his smile disappeared from his face and the memories of home rushed back to him. Link rubbed Epona gently and stared longingly at the saddle and reins that were hanging from a hook beside the stable door. Epona whinnied and nuzzled Link's hand. "I'm sorry, girl. I don't have any treats for you today." Epona snorted as if in response to Link. He scratched the mare's neck softly. Link whirled around when he heard the stable door open. Jacob and Arya were standing in the doorway, each holding one of Link's saddle bags. Jacob smiled sadly "We thought that we'd find you here. We've seen the way you gaze across Hyrule Field in the direction of your village."

Link looked at Jacob in surprise when he held out the saddle bag. "You're letting me leave? Just like that?"

"I reckon that there's no use trying to stop The Chosen Hero when he wants to do something. I don't think that I could change your mind so, I might as well make sure that you are well prepared."

Link smiled at Jacob, grateful that he understood. Link noticed that Arya hadn't said one word. She was just staring at her feet. "Arya" Link said softly "I'm sorry. I have to go home. I am not the person that you wish I was."

Arya looked up slowly. Her eyes were glistening with tears. "I know. You aren't Damien." Arya's voice wavered "I know you have to go home to your own family… I'm glad that you got better." Link nodded in acknowledgement, not trusting himself to speak. He had no family of his own but, he had come to look upon the whole village as his family. Arya opened Epona's stall and led her out. Jacob helped Link to buckle the saddle onto the mare's back and slip the reins over her head. When Link secured the saddle bags he turned to look at Jacob and Arya. "Thank you. For everything." Link said meaningfully. Arya did not reply, she just bowed her head. Jacob reminded Link to change his bandages every second day and told the young Hylian that he had put some red potion into his bags in case he needed it. When Link had climbed up onto Epona and settled himself in the saddle Arya spoke; "Whatever you do, please don't travel through Ganon's Pass." Link smiled slightly at that. He definitely wasn't planning on riding through the Pass on his way to Ordon. Jacob and Arya followed Link outside into the open air. The Hylian looked down at them and nodded, his voice catching in his throat. A single tear rolled down Arya's cheek "Goodbye, Link." Arya and Jacob stood outside watching the horse and master until they disappeared from sight.

Link headed east, towards Ordon. Towards Home.

**And finished. Usually, I would enjoy writing a lot more than this but, seeing as I am only 16 unfortunately, I had to return to school and did not have time to make this story any longer.**

**Thank you for the great reviews of Chapter 1. They were very helpful and I hope that the points made will help me to become a better writer in the future.**

**As with chapter 1, please review. I want to improve at my writing and the only way to do that is to discover what works and what doesn't. Constructive criticism is hugely appreciated.**

– **I don't write fanfictions very often but, if anybody is interested in my future descriptive writing/short stories you can find me on deviantart – username: alex8286. I hope to be posting some short stories there soon.**


End file.
